The Ndungu field development project is located in Block 15/06 offshore Angola.
Azule Energy, a bp and Eni company, operates Block 15/06 with a 36.84% stake, while the remaining interests in the block are owned by Sonangol E&P (36.84%) and Sinopec International (26.32%).
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Early production from the field commenced via the Ngoma floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel in February 2022.
The Ndungu full field start-up was achieved in February 2026 from three production wells. The full field development includes seven producing wells and four injection wells, and output is expected to peak at around 60,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd).
Early output is being handled through a tieback to the existing Ngoma FPSO and West Hub subsea system, before it is later transferred to the new Agogo FPSO.
The Ndungu field is part of the Agogo Integrated West Hub development aimed at ensuring sustained long-term production from the block.
Ndungu field location
The Ndungu field lies in the western part of Block 15/06 in the Lower Congo Basin, approximately 180km off the coast of Angola, at water depths of approximately 1,100m and roughly 10km from the Ngoma FPSO.
Eni signed the production sharing agreement for Block 15/06 in November 2006 following an international bid.
The first commercial oil discovery through the Sangos-1 well was announced in April 2008, while the second discovery was made in August the same year by drilling the N’Goma-1 well.
The third commercial discovery was made in September 2009 by drilling the Cabaça-North well, at a water depth of 500m, in the north-east part of the block.
The block was estimated to contain more than three billion barrels (bbbl) of oil in place and 850 million barrels (mbbl) of reserves, based on the results of the successful exploration campaign.
It was developed in two phases, namely the West Hub and the East Hub. The West Hub produced its first oil in November 2014, while the East Hub development commenced production through the Armada Olombendo FPSO vessel in February 2017.
Ndungu discovery and background
Eni announced the discovery of light oil in the Ndungu prospect in May 2019.
The Ndungu-1 new field wildcat well was drilled by the Poseidon drill-ship in 1,076m-deep waters, a few kilometres away from Eni’s West Hub facilities.
Drilled to a total depth of 4,050m, the discovery well encountered a single 65m oil column, with a net pay of approximately 45m of high-quality oil (35° API), in Oligocene sandstones.
Drilled 5km away from Ndungu-1, the Ndungu-2 appraisal well hit 40m of net oil pay (35° API) in the Lower Oligocene reservoirs.
The Ndungu field is estimated to contain resources of between 800 million barrels of oil equivalent and one billion barrels of oil equivalent in place, according to the results of the Ndungu-2 well, announced on 28 March 2022. The field was originally estimated to contain 250mbbl of light oil in place at the time of discovery.
Ndungu was the fourth commercial discovery in Block 15/06 after Kalimba, Afoxe and Agogo. The four discoveries have a combined resource estimate of 1.4bbbl of light oil in place.
Agogo Integrated West Hub development details
The Agogo Integrated West Hub development extends the existing West Hub and combines the Agogo and Ndungu fields within Eni’s Low Carbon, Fast Track framework.
Production at the Agogo Integrated West Hub project began in August 2025 following the start-up of the Agogo FPSO.
The Agogo FPSO incorporates technologies intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including fully electric topside and marine systems and a combined-cycle offshore power generation unit of this scale. It also includes a pilot carbon capture and storage unit and is the first in Angola to have its operational emissions fully offset.
Ngoma FPSO details
The Ngoma FPSO is owned by Sonasing and operated by OPS, a 50:50 joint venture between SBM Offshore and Sonangol.
It was hired by ExxonMobil under the name of FPSO Xikomba in Block 15, offshore Angola. Xikomba was operational for eight years until it was disconnected in 2011.
The FPSO vessel was refurbished and is currently under a 12-year lease with Eni Angola.
Ngoma can process 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil. It has a gas handling capacity of 115 million metric standard cubic feet per day and a water injection capacity of 120,000bpd.
Contractors involved
In May 2024, Saipem secured a $850m (€734.82m) contract from Azule Energy for the engineering and fabrication, followed by the transport and installation of roughly 60km of rigid pipelines and associated subsea infrastructure. The contract also included the delivery and installation of flexible flowlines, jumpers and around 17km of umbilicals.
In August 2023, Aker Solutions secured a contract to supply subsea umbilicals for the Ndungu project, covering eight infield umbilicals, including spares, with a combined length of more than 25km.
Cladtek delivered more than 41km of corrosion resistant alloy mechanically lined pipes, alongside weld overlay pipe, hot induction bends and pup pieces.
